How a digital patient portal helped Bradford Teaching Hospitals cut nurse callbacks by 30%

We joined forces with Bradford’s transformation and clinical rheumatology teams to completely transform their telephone-based operating system into a new digital solution that could provide information for patients.

This would help them manage their conditions, while also providing an alternative digital way of accessing the advice line and giving them some peace of mind. This took the form of both streamlining phone services and creating a portal to cater for a diverse audience with differing needs – be it digital or traditional. 

1. Self-managed care
   Patients can self-direct to the correct department and access tools that often resolve their queries, allowing nurses to focus on complex or urgent cases.
2. Inclusivity for all
   Crucially, this new service remains inclusive – ensuring all patients benefit, regardless of their digital literacy and communications preferences.
3. Easier path to care
   The digital portal collects detailed information upfront, making phone consultations more efficient and accessible, even for patients with language barriers.

The Trust has widely implemented the DrDoctor Patient Portal, so that patients won’t miss important communications, while reducing the 1.5 million letters sent every year that cost £800,000.

DrDoctor Forms & Assessments also gives patients access to forms from their home, resulting in higher quality of patient information. These systems working together throughout the Trust creates a single, smooth digital pathway and enables proper use of Nurse Advice Line and was it originally was intended for.